I just wanted to bring attention to this awful tragedy that has touched my heart because the majority of the 245 that were confirmed dead was around my age group. 3 people have been arrested in the local proximity of the nightclub, but the police aren't sure if it was an arson attack. It is also the largest death toll in a fire since 9/11. Wow.

Last I heard was that the fire could have been caused by the fireworks that went off.

Terrible tragedy though.

On tonight's BBC news it was reported that the fire was started by a small pyrotechnic display on the stage which had been used by the band as part of its 'effects' before without any problems. When they realised that part of the stage had caught fire a guard handed them a fire extinguisher, but it didn't work.

The fire then spread very quickly and many of the youngsters in the club were unable to escape because not only was there only one exit door open but the security guards initially failed to realise what was happening and tried to block people from leaving - it being the practice in Brazilian bars and clubs to have customers pay their whole tab before allowing them to leave the premises.

Also barriers which were designed to keep people in line outside the club obstructed the way of those who had managed to leave, with tragic consequences as people were crushed in the stampede to get out.

It also seems that considerably more people were killed by the toxic smoke than they were by the fire itself. According to one account given by a doctor -

The toxic smoke made people lose their sense of direction so they were unable to find their way to the exit. At least 50 bodies were found inside a bathroom. Apparently they confused the bathroom door with the exit door.

So far four arrests have been made - the owner and co-owner of the club, its security chief and a member of the band.

The number of deaths has been reduced to 231 - not that that's of any comfort to the bereaved families, or to the national as a whole, and my thoughts are very much with them and the youngsters who escaped but received terrible burns. I did have a look at some eye-witness reports and many of them make gruesome reading.

On tonight's BBC news it was reported that the fire was started by a small pyrotechnic display on the stage which had been used by the band as part of its 'effects' before without any problems. When they realised that part of the stage had caught fire a guard handed them a fire extinguisher, but it didn't work.

The fire then spread very quickly and many of the youngsters in the club were unable to escape because not only was there only one exit door open but the security guards initially failed to realise what was happening and tried to block people from leaving - it being the practice in Brazilian bars and clubs to have customers pay their whole tab before allowing them to leave the premises.

Also barriers which were designed to keep people in line outside the club obstructed the way of those who had managed to leave, with tragic consequences as people were crushed in the stampede to get out.

It also seems that considerably more people were killed by the toxic smoke than they were by the fire itself. According to one account given by a doctor -

The toxic smoke made people lose their sense of direction so they were unable to find their way to the exit. At least 50 bodies were found inside a bathroom. Apparently they confused the bathroom door with the exit door.

So far four arrests have been made - the owner and co-owner of the club, its security chief and a member of the band.

The number of deaths has been reduced to 231 - not that that's of any comfort to the bereaved families, or to the national as a whole, and my thoughts are very much with them and the youngsters who escaped but received terrible burns. I did have a look at some eye-witness reports and many of them make gruesome reading.

Another quite haunting discovery has been made. One of the victims of the fire actually pleaded for help on Facebook moments before she died.

It's 192 in Brazil. Maybe that person felt that the emergency services were either slow in arriving or weren't doing enough to help the victims, so in a state of desperation and panic sent out a general plea through Facebook?

Mark, last year I lost two of my lovely students to a house fire. They'd called 911 but were trapped in the fire. While they were trapped they text messaged their friends for help. They were 17 and 18 years old.

As Aileen says, the poor victim probably used Facebook in sheer desperation. If a silly song can get massive attention and go rapidly viral, then why not a plea for help?This is another senseless tragedy, and I hope safety lessons are learned.

^ I remember you telling us about that Linda. These sort of tragedies really are so heart-breaking to hear about even if you don't know the victims.

Well Scotland learnt its lesson after two Uni students in Edinburgh died in their sleep as a result of fumes from a faulty gas pipe in their rented flat. Scottish Gas now have a statutory duty to carry out gas safety inspections in all rented property once a year, and Scottish Power are required to do the same for electricity.

Mark, last year I lost two of my lovely students to a house fire. They'd called 911 but were trapped in the fire. While they were trapped they text messaged their friends for help. They were 17 and 18 years old.

LOS ANGELES - Arab-American groups have sharply criticized a Coca-Cola Super Bowl ad depicting an Arab walking through the desert with a camel, and one group said it would ask the beverage giant to change it before CBS airs the game on Sunday before an expected audience of more than 100 million U.S. viewers.

“Why is it that Arabs are always shown as either oil-rich sheiks, terrorists, or belly dancers?” said Warren David, president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, or ADC.

Coca-Cola released an online teaser of the commercial last week, showing the Arab walking through a desert. He soon sees cowboys, Las Vegas showgirls and a motley crew fashioned after the marauders of the apocalyptic “Mad Max” film race by him to reach a gigantic bottle of Coke.

In its ad, Coke asks viewers to vote online on which characters should win the race. The online site does not allow a vote for the Arab character.

“The Coke commercial for the Super Ball is racist, portraying Arabs as backward and foolish Camel Jockeys, and they have no chance to win in the world,” Imam Ali Siddiqui, president of the Muslim Institute for Interfaith Studies, said in an email.

“What message is Coke sending with this?” asked Abed Ayoub, ADC’s director of legal and policy affairs. “By not including the Arab in the race, it is clear that the Arab is held to a different standard when compared to the other characters in the commercial,” he said.

CBS declined comment. Coca-Cola spokeswoman Lauren Thompson said Coke took a “cinematic” approach with the ad, employing the characters as a nod to movies of the past.

“Coca-Cola is an inclusive brand enjoyed by all demographics,” she said in an email. “We illustrate our core values, from fun and refreshment to happiness, inspiration and optimism across all of our marketing communications.”

I'd never even heard the word before, but this does reveal the more sinister side of the internet. Maybe I'm missing something, but I reckon Manti was probably desperate to to have a relationship with a woman but, being unable to get one in the real world (shyness? lack of confidence?), he then turned to the virtual one, although why he apparently never wanted to meet 'her' in the flesh seems a bit strange. The really amazing thing though is the fact that Ronaiah managed to keep the deception going for what seems to have been quite a long period of time without making some sort of give-away slip-up. Weird!

This guy portrayed himself as a beautiful girl and they talked online and thru voice messages for almost 2 years. He then killed 'her' off with cancer.The footballer (Manti Te'o) spoke publicly about how devasted he was by her death, and how much she meant to him. He had no idea the whole thing wasn't real.Now this guy has come clean to Dr. Phil, his family and the world.

I don't condone what Roniaha did, but having read right through the article, I feel very sorry for him too.

Also to add to Manti's misery and embarrassment, this has started a new trend - "Te'o is now a meme -- posting pictures of yourself with your arm around an imaginary girlfriend. They call it "Te'oing."